Saturday, November 29, 2014

actions of thanks!

I thank you for the suggestions! I've added the Morgan library to our must stops, and perhaps "The Oldest Boy" puppet theater at Lincoln Center... tonight I'm sort of looking around online about local artists. a friend going with us said he'd rather see what local artists are doing versus going to too many art museums... hmm so I'm working on it. ha
I found a great place to stay while there!!thanks, mike for the airbnb.com suggestion!!! We had reservations at Chelsea Savoy hotel for 5 nights, and then I found this place in west village, just behind the methodist church on the corner of 13th and 7th streeet. it's ground floor and has a big bed for them to share and a single for me in a studio apt with a kitchen and bathroom. yay! for 5 nights we'll be paying $331 each, not too bad. ($991 total for stay).
It's actually closer to the sub stops than I'm used to walking all the way back to the Jane Hotel. sweet!
Also this way, since they are arriving around lunch time from Austin (direct flight!! just kills me) and I won't be there until say 6:30, they can get the keys and all that and check in and leave luggage, and then I'll meet them later and we can get ready for the show at 8 etc etc. ,that's the plan anyway.
I was in Arkansas this week and never blogged from the upstairs bedroom!! ha ha. just too busy I guess. As soon as my 1:30 pm class was over on Tuesday, I hopped into my truck and headed on up to NW AR to meet my friend for dinner, my best bud J. I got up there by 6 and was able to go to my usual married friends SH and JC's place and they put me upstairs in the studio/3rd bedrm upstairs. then left to get to J's place by 630 and we headed downtown to have dinnet at a nice downtown restaurant where he meets some guys on Tuesday nights there for beer,. we had dinner and sat aound with about 12 guys in all ending up sitting together in the bar area. good times and I met some of his buds in town there.
crashed and then Wednesday morning caught up with SH and JC and their kids then I was off by 10:30 with the wife SH, she and I went over to a former college friend's house west of town, a friend who now teaches at my former college as an adjunct. so she and I exchanged teaching stories and visited with SH and then after about an hour and half were going back home by 12, went to see T and pick her up and headed over to Bentonville. Birthday boy J and his wife and kids were going to Crystal Bridges and so T and I planned to meet them there, although we got there kind of late by 2pm. still we walked around, ran into J and his family ( I went separately on purpose because I didn't want to go with him and his KIDS of course, this way T and I got to see everything and then I compared notes later with J while at his place). ARe you near nw AR???? YOU must see the State of the Art exhibit!! It's so amazing, all these current artists from all over the country, and such varied stuff! wow! There was this one printmaking artist names Michael Menchaca that had this sort of illustrated characters almost cartoon like but also like mayan influenced, basically a depiction of a current story on the state of border patrols and Mexicans who cross over and the drug cartel involved etc etc. such interesting social commentary. I found a print online at artspace that I'm dying to have in my office or home on the wall, but I can't throw the $300 at it right now: check it out here at artspace.com I considered asking you guys to make a donation to supporting American art and send it to me for Christmas, but i couldn't get it on my amazon wishlist. hee hee >;) I'm going to wait after my next paycheck and either before or after the NYC trip reconsider getting that thing!
(the last photo is of some clothes I have set aside for the trip)
all of the State of the Art show was amazing, great museum there in AR, I was going to try and drop by and see my OKC buddy's S bf who lives in Bentonville, but we ran out of time. we got back to town by 6pm and I dropped off T at her place and went over and talked all night to J and his wife, and then around 8:30 went back over to T's to watch a movie and we looked all over airbnb.com for different places to stay all over the world. next on my list is Paris and Iceland!!! ;)
I was up by 8am Thursday and on the road by 8:30, driving back to OKC and arriving home by 11 ish, got some flowers in vases since I was in charge of bringing table stuff to my sisters for the Thanskgiving dinner. got over there by 12 and we had about 26 in all since my little sister and family of 6 didn't make it this year. great food! great times talking all day with my family and siblings basically. ate a LOT of course. Thursday I got back home and drove over to Best buy just to check out prices on stuff, but nothing i couldnt' live without. ha plus line was too dang long anyway. I came home and chilled . Friday morning I did go back to the outlet mall for a pair of blue suede shoes for my buddy J in AR, he tried mine on and really liked 'em so I have his Christmas gift done! :)
okay one more story. I returned to my usual gym, hadn't been there in about a month since they started the remodel and I began going to a gym near my work. well anyway, this guy that I'm always talking about, this college kid, if you've read the blog very long, he's the kid that I run into all the time and talk it up with on the floor since it's usually only us up there anyway, well I've mentioned his bulge swinging around in his flimsy shorts etc etc. after getting to know him better over the last few years, I've become more of a bud than like really wanting to ever try to get in his pants. just to get that clear. well anyway, he was lifeguarding as usual on Friday afternoons and I went up there to swim about 20 mins of laps,after catching up since it's been a while seeing him, he asked me if I went to church, and talked to me bout how he's been praying and reading the bible lately and feels like he should go to a church. I was just like , okay, wow, and started talking to him about my church and how he's never gone only once when he was 5, and we started getting into a conversation, but then I was like, well I better get in and swim cuz I was about to dry off completely from the shower I took before coming into the pool area. after swimming another guy lifeguard was there working with him, and so on my way out I asked him his last name, which I've only known him by first name for years! ha. and then said i'd message him on facebook and then he could message me back with any more questions. Now I guess I'll see if he contacts me or not. eventually i'll give him my number or just tell him to stop by my place here in town anytime and also if he wants to visit some churches in OKC i'd be glad to go with him. probably will invite with me some Sunday as well. why not.
I'm very thankful for my job!! we got an email yesterday from the president that everyone is getting a stipend of 1% of salary base, plus $200 if you had meets requirements eval last year, or plus $300 if it was exceeds requirements ( I don't remember which but I know I had one of 'em last spring, ha!). so anyway, we get paid the 12th!!! the day I leave for NYC. yay perfect timing, man am I ever thankful to the man upstairs for that extra news!! :) my goal is to shop for some Christmas ornaments for my family members even though we drew names Thursday while together. for the sister I drew, I'll get some extra special thing of course.
LONG weekend!!! I'm trying to ge tthe house clean and everything put away and in order before my 5 classes of final essays come in this week, and then it's all about grade grade grade essay for the next two weeks before the trip.
hope everyone had a good break!! I'm thankful to have you guys actually keep up with the blog and give me your feedback and input. anytime! I'm glad I've kept it going after all, although it's more sporadic with my new job keeping me busy. cheers!

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About Me

daninokc@gmail.com
After finishing grad school I left OKC to teach overseas for a year, returned to teach high school for 3 years, and now am teaching fulltime at a community college, it's AWESOME....I'm overall an optimistic fun social type of guy. I like to take care of myself, get involved in projects, love to travel and at home just find time to RELAX.